


Heart of Darkness

by Delyth



Category: Marvel, Marvel Cinematic Universe, Thor (Movies)
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-09
Updated: 2020-02-09
Packaged: 2021-02-28 05:40:32
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,006
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22628749
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Delyth/pseuds/Delyth
Summary: This is inspired by Loki’s reaction to seeing Odin die in the deleted alternative scene from Thor Ragnarok.  Thanks to @hjbender for the gifs and @the-sun-shining-on-thorki for the heartbreaking thought - "imagine his reaction if he had seen Frigga's".Originally posted on Tumblr, I’ve made a few small changes and edits.
Relationships: Loki & Frigga
Comments: 3
Kudos: 26





	Heart of Darkness

“No!” screamed Loki. He ran across the chamber, each footstep taking an eternity, already knowing he would be too late. He knelt beside Frigga and pressed his hand to her abdomen, trying to stem the flow of blood. Frigga lay limp on the flagstones and did not respond when Loki felt for a pulse in her neck.

Thor roared and ran up the steps flinging Mjolnir after Malekith, but he was also an instant too slow, and Malekith leapt from the balcony to the ship below and was gone. The ships dissolving into daylight. Loki could hear the sound of the hammer returning as Thor turned back to Frigga and Loki, but Thor hesitated on the edge of the steps when he saw a gentle green light emanating from Frigga.

The light grew until it enveloped Frigga entirely, as Loki used his magic to seek out the wound and heal it. He could feel it. A great tear through her chest, scraping bone and puncturing organs. He focussed his energy on the edges of the tear and began to twine his magic with hers to persuade Frigga’s body to repair itself. Severed blood vessels began to grow out towards each other and reconnect, muscle and skin began to repair. Frigga stirred.

But something was wrong.

Loki could feel a strange darkness within her. It was only a pinpoint, but it wouldn’t let tissue around it heal. And it was growing. He poured more of his own energy into the spell and the darkness began to recede, but slowly, oh so slowly.

Frigga’s breathing began to ease and she opened her eyes.

“Loki”, she said looking up at him, the beginnings of a warm smile on her face, despite the pain.

As Frigga awakened Loki could feel her magic reviving. It began surging out to heal her wounds and would soon take her out of danger. But at that moment, as though it was triggered by the return of her magic, the strange darkness began to expand again, stronger than before, and faster, overpowering Loki’s magic and Frigga’s combined.

“No!” said Loki again, drawing in a shocked breath, “Please, no.”

He bent over Frigga more closely and closed his eyes as concentrated on eliminating the source of the darkness. Frigga cried out in pain as he forced his magic against the bitter blackness, and he pulled back opening his eyes, looking into Frigga’s, alarmed.

“Mother, I can’t hold it off.” His voice trembled. “A blackness spreads within you and I can’t stop it. The knife must have been spelled”, he said, his voice rising. “I can’t stop it, Amma. I’m sorry, I’m sorry…” he choked back a sob. “I can’t…”

The fear in his eyes was clear and Frigga raised her hand and placed it on top of his. Loki clasped it tightly and leaned down to hear his mother as she said quietly, “Loki, don’t try, my dearest. My son.” She tried to smile again as a tears pooled in Loki’s eyes, but didn’t have the strength for long and she let out a breath as her hand went limp in Loki’s.

He searched with his magic but could find no flame of life within her. All light had been extinguished by the darkness of the Svartalfar.

Loki leaned back numbly, and took Frigga’s hand in his and gently placed it on her chest. He felt stunned, she was gone so suddenly. If only he had been faster to get to Frigga’s chambers! If only he had not waited to attack! Fury bubbled up within him, powered by his grief and desire to make Malekith feel a pain no less great.

He looked up. Thor was kneeling on the other side of Frigga, his forehead against hers and tears dripping onto her face. Loki hadn’t noticed him move.

Loki stood, still staring at his mother lying at his feet, her dress soaked with blood, bloody hand prints on the tiles of the floor and on her hands.

And on his.

He looked down at his hands and felt a sharp spear of hatred tearing through his heart for the _creature_ responsible, and a pain equally sharp but directed at himself for not being able to stop this. He should have seen it coming, should have done _something_!

His fingertips began to glow with his magic as it responded to his call. He could feel its power coursing through him and wanted to use it to tear out Malekith’s throat, to destroy every last one of the Svartalfar in retribution, to turn back time itself to right this unfathomable wrong. There was something cruelly amiss with the universe itself if this was allowed to happen, and he would tear the universe apart to make it right again.

He could dimly hear Thor calling to him but he paid no heed. His magic growing in strength and expanding out as his awareness grew. He could sense the Einherjar fighting the last remaining Svartalfar in the throne room. He could feel the fear of the city’s populace as they ran from the tall dark ships of the elves, or ran to help those who had been injured or killed the attack. He could feel the anger, the fear, the _desperation_ \- 

Without conscious thought, his magic ripped outward from Frigga’s chambers across the palace and out into the city, sweeping through the people of Asgard. The shock wave jolted Aesir from their feet, though harming no-one greatly, until it found its target. Every last one of the Svartalfar within half a mile were instantly felled, their hearts stopped. Cold and black.

Loki let out scream filled with rage and grief and fell to the floor, exhausted. He had held nothing back, and cared little for the great toll his body would likely now pay for his magic. The last thing he noticed before he closed his eyes was Thor slowly getting up from the ground, his eyes wide, and as sound returned to his ears he heard him say “Brother!”

**Author's Note:**

> I hope you enjoyed that. It kept me up past midnight writing it on a tiny phone when I really should have been asleep. 
> 
> This is the second little fic I've ever written, though I've been trying to write something else for ages, but I can't quite figure out where that one's going. So I suppose it's true when they say practice makes perfect - or mediocre at least - because this was much easier to write than the first one. Hopefully it will encourage me to finish the other one. :)


End file.
